Mahesh S Tirumkudulu

Biography

B.Tech., IIT Madras. 1995 Ph.D., City University of New York, New York. 2001

Research Interest

The research work of my group can be classified into three main areas. The first involving mutliphase flows focuses on the flow behaviour of suspensions containing non-colloidal particles. Recent experiments have uncovered a curious phenomenon of particle segregation into regions of high and low particle concentration in a neutrally buoyant suspension undergoing shear in the presence of a free surface. Using a combination of experiments and computer simulations, we are currently studying the influence of the free surface on the particle flow in suspensions. The second area deals with the mechanism of film formation in paints and coatings. A major factor promoting the recent investigations in this subject is the need to substitute the widely used coating formulations containing volatile organic compounds with environment friendly water based dispersions. Here, we would like to know the effect of various parameters such as inter-particle potentials, pigment charateristics, polymer particle size, polymer modulus and composition on the film's microstructure and its final mechanical properties. In collaboration with the faculty of electrical engineering and materials science departments, we have recently initiated projects in the area of microfluidics. Here, we are interested in understanding at a fundamental level, the flow behaviour of liquids confined to very small length scales.